أقولُ له يَوْمَ حَثَّ المَطِيَّ

وفيها جَوًى ليسَ في غيرها

I say to him on the day he spurs the she-camel,

In which there is no comfort except with her,

أضَرَّ بها يا هُذيم الهوى

وها هي تشكوكَ من ضرِّها

"You have harmed her, O Hudhaym of passion,

And here she complains of her harm from you.

وأَنْتَ تكلِّفها بالمسير

فخلِّ المَطِيَّ على سيرها

Yet you urge her to walk,

So leave the she-camel to walk her pace,

وتزجرها زجر لا راحمٍ

وإنَّكَ بالغْتَ في زجرها

And you scold her with merciless scolding,

Though you have gone too far in scolding her.

ألَم تَرَها لا تُطيقُ الحِراك

لأشياء في الحبّ لم تدرها

Do you not see that she cannot bear to move

Due to things in love she does not know?

ولو كنتَ تَعلمُ أمر النياق

لأوْسَعَك الرِّفقُ في عذرها

Had you known the matter of docility,

Gentleness would have excused her in your view.

أما كنتَ يوم بكتْ بالغميم

فَخِلْتَ المدامعَ من نحرها

Did you not once weep in the rain clouds

And let tears flow from her eyes?

وركض الغرام بأحشائها

ونحن ركوبٌ على ظهرها

Passion was racing through her innards

While we rode upon her back.

وعَرَّفَنا وَجْدُنا ما بها

وحتى اطّلَعْنا على سرِّها

Our fervor made known to us her inner state

Until we uncovered her secret.

فحينئذٍ راغ عن حَثِّها

وأصبَحَ يعجَبُ من أمرها

So then he stopped spurring her

And began to marvel at her condition."